US to train several thousand Libyan soldiers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is planning to train 5,000 to 8,000 Libyan soldiers in the continuing effort to improve security in the North African nation.

Defense Department spokesman Col. Steve Warren says the Army will train the troops in Bulgaria on basic, general purpose skills. He says Washington-Tripoli talks are still underway to figure out the exact number of Libyans to be trained and when the program will start.

The training is part of a larger U.S. and international effort to shore up security in the country and region in the aftermath of the 2011 fall of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Militia violence has increased in recent days in the country, where the army and police have been too weak to disarm them.